Using Command-Line Arguments with Installers and Uninstallers

InstallAnywhere 2024 R2

InstallAnywhere-generated installers and uninstallers can be run with command-line arguments that can dictate, alter, or override the function of the installer and uninstaller.

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Setting the Interface Mode

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Setting the Installer Locale

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Generating a Response File

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Using a Response File or installer.properties File

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Setting Custom Variables

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Setting JVM Heap Size

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Showing Installer Help

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Setting the Temp Directory

Setting the Interface Mode

To set the interface mode from the command line, perform the following steps:

To set the interface mode from the command line:

At the command line, enter <installer_name/uninstaller_name> -i <mode>

For example, to use a specific interface mode with an installer or an uninstaller, use a command such as one of the following:

Interface mode -Specific Sample Commands for Installers and Uninstallers
Interface mode	Installer	Uninstaller
gui	install.exe -i gui	uninstall.exe -i gui
console	install.exe -i console	uninstall.exe -i console
silent	install.exe -i silent	uninstall.exe -i silent

Note:Using -i command-line switch without an argument (interface mode) or with an invalid argument (interface mode) for launching the Installer, results to display a usage message including the appropriate available options on console.

Setting the Installer Locale

To set the installer locale from the command line, perform the following steps:

To set the installer locale from the command line:

At the command line, enter <installer_name> -l <language_code>[_OPTIONAL_COUNTRY_CODE]

For example, to run the installer with the Simplified Chinese locale:

install.exe -l zh_CN

Note:Uninstaller does not support the command-line argument for setting locale and will always run with locale set for installer.

Generating a Response File

To generate a response file from the command line, perform the following steps:

To generate a response file from the command line:

At the command line, enter <installer_name/uninstaller_name> -r "path_and_file_name"

For example, to create a response file for the installer and uninstaller, you could enter the following at the command line:

install.exe -r "C:\Users\James\myresponse.properties"

uninstall.exe -r "C:\Users\James\myresponse.properties"

Note:Consider the following to create a response file for the installer and uninstaller using the command-line switch:

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For the installer if you do not specify a path and file name for the response file in the command line, the file will be named installer.properties or [installername].properties and it will be created in the same directory as the installer.

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For the uninstaller if you do not specify a path or a file name for the response file at the command line, the response file will not be created. Both a path and a file name should be specified for the response file creation.

Tip:Be aware that non-standard properties file names require a more complicated call to be used later. This is because any properties file or response file that uses either the default name (installer.properties) or the installer name ([installer_name].properties) can be automatically used by an installer when the installer and the properties file are in the same directory. When you use a non-standard name, you must reference the properties file (using a -f argument), specifically, when you run the installer.

Using a Response File or installer.properties File

To use a response file or installer.properties file from the command line, perform the following steps:

To use a response file or installer.properties file from the command line:

At the command line, enter <installer_name> -f "path_and_file_name"

For example, to use property settings from a file named installer.properties stored in John’s Desktop directory, enter the following:

install.exe -f "C:\Users\John\Desktop\installer.properties"

Note:Uninstaller does not support the command-line argument for using a response file or installer.properties file.

Setting Custom Variables

To set custom variables from the command line, perform the following steps:

To set custom variables from the command line:

At the command line, enter <installer_name> -D<myvar=myvalue>

For example, to set a new value for the install directory ($USER_INSTALL_DIR$), use a command such as one of the following ones:

Platform-Specific Sample Commands for Defining Custom Variables from the Command Line (Sheet of )
Platform	Command
Linux	install.bin -DUSER_INSTALL_DIR="/home/jane/InstallationDirectory"
OS or OS X	install.bin -DUSER_INSTALL_DIR="/Users/jane/InstallationDirectory"
Windows	install.exe -DUSER_INSTALL_DIR="C:\Users\jane\Desktop\MyDirectory"

Note:Uninstaller does not support the command-line argument for setting custom variables.

Setting JVM Heap Size

To set JVM heap size from the command line, perform the following steps:

To set JVM heap size from the command line:

To set the initial JVM heap size, at the command line, enter:

<installer_name> -jvmxms <size>

To set the maximum JVM heap size, at the command line, enter:

<installer_name> -jvmxmx <size>

The default size for these values is measured in bytes. Append the letter k or K to the value to indicate kilobytes, m or M to indicate megabytes, and g or G to indicate gigabytes. For example, to set the maximum JVM heap size to 25 megabytes, enter the following:

install.exe -jvmxmx 25m

Note:Uninstaller does not support the command-line argument for setting JVM heap size.

Showing Installer Help

To show installer help from the command line, perform the following steps:

To show installer help from the command line:

At the command line, enter <installer_name> -?

For example

install.exe -?

Note:Uninstaller does not support the command-line argument for showing uninstaller help.

Setting the Temp Directory

To set the temp directory path from the command line, perform the following steps:

To set the temp directory from the command line:

At the command line, enter <installer_name/uninstaller_name> -tempdir "Path"

You can set the required temp directory path by using the -tempdir argument with the installer or uninstaller name as shown above. For instance, to set the temp directory path to C:\ExampleTemp for the installer, where the InstallAnywhere launchers are required to be extracted, you could enter the following at the command line:

install.exe -tempdir "C:\ExampleTemp"

Note:If the specified directory path is not accessible or is not a valid path, then the default temp directory path will be utilized by the InstallAnywhere installer/uninstaller.